Pages

Net Galley Challenge

Challenge Participant

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Immediacy and tale

Sometimes we cant pinpoint when we understand the urgency of an action even after we have rolled the action. Such was the case with medical examination for immigration purposes. My sister said that she had somehow overlooked it. With me, I looked at it but dont think it registered in terms of schedule.
The doctor's offices open at some time. So you cant do anything before that.
Once I got the numbers dialling at a decent time. They were staggered redials as different offices open at different times.
Doctors are not at our beck and call especially in USA. They have appointments open that are not this week. The first doctor's office I contacted had an opening few weeks away that would only leave me with 7 days to the deadline of filing. In matters as these, the answer needs to be today. I called a friend who went through this process. He made two important points known to me. One that the company reimburses all this, which will become important when the other knob if time is not in our favour. Two that the company's on-site clinic covers it. Now this due to the lag of time, addened to the stress of scheduling. Another point was about the doctor he had been to, but anyway neither the dates nor the price worked out.
When I called the on-site clinic, the appointment was 2 days away and only for 1 person. I needed it for 2 and that day. I was told to check at the other location. The other location relayed a very important information about how the clinics are no longer able to do any of the checks that would be needed for the I-693. Thats some more time dump there.
Eventually I got an appointment for the same day for two people. The timing was such that I had to make it to the obgyn's office now to get the tetanus shot proof. HIPAA rule as they are, need a person in person if they are to release any medical records. when we made it to the obgyn office, a dear friend there told us that we were very close to lunch time. As I was filling the form, she called her colleague to release the information I needed. Luckily I had taken the I-693 sheet referring to vaccinations. she couldnt print anything as proof, but filled out the date the Tetanus vaccine was given. This was a very Bond's moment.
Then we headed for the medical examination. the reason why it had to be today was that it would need a follow up for TB test, which could result in the need of an Xray test. We ditched lunch, hoping the complex would have some lunch place. we were glad to be in AC. Being early gained us time as we went through all the tests and got ready for the remaining proof to be provided. When I had taken vaccinations earlier, I faxed the proof to graduate college but never kept a copy. I had to take MMR and Varicella (Chicken pox) again. When I called the onsite clinic, they were willing to give MMR but couldnt give Varicella. if they were on top of it, they could have informed that they needed to be taken together, if not we would have to wait another 4 weeks. It was again a stroke of luck, that the pharmacist at Walgreens warned us about it when we told him that we needed Varicella and would be getting MMR later in the week.
How obstacles present to us is interesting. But how they are resolved or thickened too is. My husband's name wouldnt go through insurance records as there was some jumble. Not even the jumbled one. HR was kind enough to resolve it right then and said they could take care of updating records later as it would not be done in 5 min or else it would have meant another trip.
After that when we reached home after a day's long work of calling, being somewhere, being poked, it seemed that it was a good idea to get it out of the way instead of letting time ooze in.
The follow up day it rained.
After all this immediacy, with doctor office assurance that they would take care of getting records from the walgreens, we checked in with them after their said time. They were mistakenly waiting for the Xray exam results which were already in. Still we got it all done in record time and so did the revoking of the eligibility date. they too must have similar immediacy an tale.

PS1: How you find things that could have helped you only after you dont need them

It is an O Henry thing that one of the letters that I needed to look at and tell the health benefits people that the names were swapped was received long time ago but never made it to me. maybe there should be some colour code for the real mail.

PS2: In pumping machines, there is a small funnel that is needed. One day it fell down, For the life of me, in the sparse room, I couldnt find where it went. Not under the table, not under the sink. where else? These things seem to have affinity to corners which we ignore. When the second one (now you why there are extras, not just covering for things breaking down, but for the magician act) too fell down, it joined the first.



Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Unlimited

Unlimited Haircuts Membership
Olive garden's Never ending pasta pass
Like Never say Never, Unlimited is not really Unlimited. Lesson from Vonage.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Why leaves change colors

reminds me of other questions
why some land is desert
where water evaporates more
why doesnt it rain more

A plumbing company logo
is phoenix in an inverted
drop

This months calendar
a water drop with the smile
of sun in background
makes an angel of the
drop

Magnifier Discovery Board

Magnifier Discovery Board

A coin, a stamp
a starfish and a tiny one
a feather, two marbles
a flower, few sunflower seeds
tiny sponge, some letters


Tuesday, September 22, 2015

The Prize





Its been five years since the beginning of the project which involves Zuckerberg's donation of 100 million dollars to reform Newark schools. The results are pouring in and more importantly, the questions - what happened to the money? Now that aint pretty. 20 million dollars to consultants, more than that to underperforming teachers as buyout, 50 percent of it to teacher contracts. Its this divvying that has been marked in the title with not much changes to the schools or students. Author Russakoff does a people centric story with coverage on all the honchos and the teachers too who bring about change in students in a positive way. Teachers who motivate students with an assessment of where they are and where they could be.
Now I am eager to know what happens to Intel's Oakland Initiative.

Assessing the 100 million upheaval of newarks public schools

Saturday, September 19, 2015

His Gift to America


I have read Frida Diego: Art,Love and Life by Catherine Reef and enjoyed it. Having read Ida M Tarbell by Emily Arnold mcCully, I have realised that biographies meant for tweens is a good way of quickly learning about some great people. All I knew about Webster before reading this book 'Noah Webster: man of Many Words' was about his dictionary.
But after reading the book, I am wondering how some things are just the same - his insistence on standing up (stand up desks) while working, he wrote letters for funding his magnum opus promising a copy (early kickstarter). Goodreads shows that webster has 127 books. It also seems like his fascination with getting the words right connects to compiling facts. Its this naming that starts off encyclopedic works. Words and Encyclopedia are two of my favourite things for all the new stuff you learn from and through them.
The book has many illustrations. some reviewers have done a good job of recognising how the major dose of American History was needed to show the man as a work of his times.

One Red Paper Clip for Kids



I havent heard of the Japanese story Straw Millionaire until I read about this book. Antonio wants a guitarro but all he gets is a stick from his Papa which is what he got from his Papa before he got his guitarro.
Involving a perro (dog), pajaro (bird), burro (donkey), gato (cat), a groom, a wedding and a mariachi band, can Antonio fulfill his dreams of a guitarro for himself?
With an undercurrent of how is something going to be helpful in getting a guitar, Antonio finds himself helping others get warmth, satisfy hunger, reduce pain, save from drowning and so on. Such a lovely kid like the sweet brother in 'How much for the Doggie in he window' (soaking in the rain at his lemonade stand) has an incredible journey trading up.
The illustrations are soft and the texture, hols you to each section of it, inviting you to explore.

Oneredpaperclip

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Realization

I never knew a time I couldnt read ;)

In an interview, the context of a time when luxury goods were rare to understand the coolness of Bond, made me appreciate how good questions raise news to history.

They Jangle

In pockets, lockers,
at the end of lanyards
on necks
in hands, in cars
on doors, in hands


Looking at the guy opening
the magazine stand to refill
it at Tempe Public Library

Pair of Words

In the DISC class, I was interested in pairing of words - Situational Hearing.

In NPR, I hear of  'emotional shorthand'.

“Music is the shorthand of emotion” - Leo Tolstoy

Friday, September 4, 2015

Key Performance Indicators for Dummies




Key Performance Indicators for Dummies is a good book to get your rookies knowledgeable on what is KPI and what KPQ (KP questions) will get you to the performance you want. The difference between leading and lagging indicators is a good one to know, even the focus on the word indicator in KPIs is essential. While the author does these kind of highlighting and contextualizing well, the dos and dont when it comes to KPIs, the book starts to feel like many booklets put together, trying to reel in different departments together. Yes finance is where all the numbers are but it is this cross functional jump, that makes the book look like a motley. I was very interested with terms like KPQ, EVA- Economic Value Added but after a while there were too many terms (I remember reading about NPS - Net Promoter Score, but cant recall which book), that made it seem like KPI should have been a small section under an umbrella title that would tie the book all in one. Something to appreciate in this varied terms definition are the examples, which make all the acronyms very easy to understand. Keep this book under the 'Basics of Business' folder.

Thinking Like a Mountain

is a popular interesting title.

Thinking like a mountain

Out of the Blue



The first idiom I remember in English is broke down. In 'Out of the Blue' I learnt some new idioms like ticked pink, shrinking violet, diffrent horse. The illustrations are minimal but the colour is deep spread.

An Idiom is a very powerful thing. in English, it first happened to me in sixth grade in a lesson called 'I met a Bushman'. It was the narrator saying his car 'broke down'.
'Out of the Blue - A Book of Color Idioms and Silly Pictures' is a great creative book for kids. I myself walk out of the book with few new idioms - tickled pink, yellow bellied and so on.
The illustrations are neat and the colour is emphatic.
There is a good mix of culture - brown bag. Red tape and Red letters illustrations are different from what I have in my mind.
(NetGalley)

Its  a great idea to make a page with a color Idiom and ask kids to guess it or give an idiom and ask them to illustrate it.

Inspiration for sketching



Legs and a hand
all pointing in the
same direction

three eighth of
an octopus